ADVERTISING FEATURE WAITAKI HERALD, OCTOBER 15, 2014 23 Spring By GRAHAM KEEP (KEEPIE) animal feed crops. Chris Witham, of PGG Wrightson, N said that the season was off to a good start with a good spring, despite still being a bit cold and needing a shower of rain. Witham said there was an increase in the amount of barley and spring wheat being sown along with fairly extensive areas of fodder beet. Fodder beet is used to graze dairy cows and heifers. One farmer says he has until recently been a traditional crop farmer but now grows grass which is sold to dairy farmers for silage. He is also growing some barley, which he will harvest for sale or sell as a feed crop for silage, depending on the orth Otago is into another season of crop farming, sowing new paddocks and price. Another fulltime cropping farmer says that much of his barley goes to the dairy farming sector as feed, and, therefore, the lower income for dairy farmers could have some effect on the grain price they are able to pay. While one farmer says the price for barley out of his silos is approximately $420, another was of the opinion that this season’s price will be in the mid three hundreds. Everyone spoken to was of the opinion that what happened in the dairy sector would affect the cropping farmer. With the likely value being fairly volatile, the grain buying companies are apparently not too willing to offer fixed price contracts. Witham said North Otago still had a fairly stable hard core of crop farmers, who would no doubt Cultivation 2014 A good spring: The crop growing season in North Otago is off to a good start. continue to diversify to ensure the future of the sector. Along with wheat, one farmer is growing Choisum Brassica, sometimes known as Chinese cabbage, for seed export. Speaking with a local insurer it looks as though insurance cover and costs will be similar to last year for those farmers choosing to insure their growing crops. In general, everyone is of the opinion that the coming season is looking good for cultivation in North Otago. BIG SAVINGS! Save big dollars on these hard-working Suzuki farm Quads as we run our end of season stock clearance. Talk to your participating Suzuki dealer today! LT-F300FK4 KINGQUAD 300 RRP $7,999 – SAVE $796.15 LT-A500XL4 KINGQUAD 500 AUTO RRP $10,999 – SAVE $1,347 LT-A500XPL4 KINGQUAD 500 AUTO POWER STEER RRP $12,999 – SAVE $1,046.15 Promotion runs from 1 October 2014 until 31 December 2014 and is not available in conjunction with any other promotion. Prices exclude GST. Savings are inclusive of GST. Stock is limited and offer only at participating dealers WWW.SUZUKI.CO.NZ 6344566AA 6344561AA